Trouble in a Stetson Read Free

not to roll his eyes. Why did this seem such a perfect car for Miss Lola Lamont? “Hand me your keys, Lola.”
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    Trouble in a Stetson
    She dug through her bag and finally handed them over. His eyes widened at the sight of the mountain of suitcases piled inside. “These are mine,” she said pointing to two enormous battered cases. He struggled, huffed a little, and wrestled them onto the pavement.
    “Damn, woman! What do you have in these? Rocks?”
    Lola laughed. “No silly. One bag is for my clothes and the other is for my shoes.”
    Shoes?
    Shaking his head, he reached for a smaller case. His mom had once explained that these were called train cases and ladies used them to tote around makeup and such. It was shiny and black featuring a cartoon ponytailed woman. The name Barbie was scrolled beneath the picture in swirly hot pink letters.
    Lola grabbed the handle with both hands and grinned. “Isn’t it the cutest thing ever? Emily and Roxie gave it to me as a gag gift on my last birthday but I just love it.”
    Sam didn’t know what to say to that. He wasn’t the kind of man who smiled a lot but damn if she wasn’t as cute as hell standing there grinning from ear to ear. “Come on. Let’s get you stowed away.”
    “Hang on a minute.” She lifted out another suitcase and a tote bag and hauled it into Blue Belle’s. The trunk was nice and empty now so he shut it up as Lola came back outside. “Okay. I’m all set. Lead the way.”
    Sam gripped the heavier than hell suitcases and headed down the alley between the café and the feed store. Behind him, he heard the steady snick snick of Lola’s heels striking the pavement. He stopped in front of the small, wood-frame apartment and, taking the key Belle had handed him earlier, slipped it into the lock. The musty smell hit them both in a blast. Plunging forward, Sam set the bags near the front door and immediately started opening windows in the small space.
    “Ew.”
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    Regina Carlysle
    Sam glanced over his shoulder in time to see her wrinkle her turned up nose. “Sorry about the smell.”
    “Oh honey, it’s not your fault,” she said with that slower than molasses drawl.
    “And beggars can’t be choosers as my mama always said.”
    “Your mama is a smart lady.”
    “Was,” she said quietly coming farther into the small living space. “She passed away right before I left home for Vegas. Here let me help you.” Lola moved to the window on the other side of the front door and started to tug. “Damn, it’s stuck. Shoot.”
    “Here, darlin’, let me get it for you. There’s no telling how long these windows have been locked up.” Lola stepped back and Sam caught a whiff of the wonderfully feminine scent of her. She wore some kind of soft, subtle perfume that was as sexy as hell. He was more than a little relieved when she moved off to examine the place. The window opened with a creak allowing fresh air to blow through the small area.
    “Hey! This isn’t bad,” she observed, turning in small circles around the room. “I’ve definitely lived in worse.”
    Hmm. Now that was interesting because this place was sure no palace. His cop’s mind began to wonder about the place she’d come from and how she’d ended up in Vegas. What had eventually driven her away from Sin City and into his town? A crime maybe? Sam immediately dismissed the idea. She didn’t look like any criminal mastermind he’d ever seen.
    A tiny kitchen sat to the left of the room and a bed and dresser occupied the far right. Smack dab in the middle was a ratty couch and an ancient television. Sam had never been in here before but he figured the open door near the bed was a bathroom.
    Sure enough, Lola peeked inside, flashed him a big smile and picked up her Barbie case from the bed. “I’ll just put this stuff away. Sam, would you mind lugging my suitcases to the bed?”
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    Trouble in a Stetson
    Sam didn’t argue. He picked up one of them and carried it over to the bed